Word to the Wise
Monday, July 10, 2017 - Monday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 28:10-22a and Matt 9:18-26]When Jacob awoke from his sleep,he exclaimed, "Truly the Lord isin this spot, although I did not know it!" In solemn wonder he cried out,"How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven." [Genesis]
Jacob's dream was of a "stairway rested on the ground, with its topreaching to the heavens; and God's messengers were going up and down on it. And there was the Lord standing beside him and saying: "I, the Lord, am the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac...." This vision has been very influential in the history of spirituality because many of the great contemplatives used the image of the ladder to describe the various stages of progress in the complative life. Later on, Jacob will have the experience of wrestling with an "angel," [Genesis 33:25-31] and this image, too, found favor with the early contemplatives in their efforts to grow closer to God.
Many dioceses around the country now have programs that train persons in the art and ministry of spiritual direction because there is a demand for this ministry. In a world of science, industry, internet, violence and political discord, there is a longing for the kind of peace and love that can be found in drawing nearer and nearer to God. It is not as if we lack resources from the past such as St. Ignatius of Loyola's SPIRITUAL EXERCISES or St. Theresa of Avila's THE INTERIOR CASTLE or St. Catherine of Siena's DIALOGUES and other classic works of mysticism, but these require a guide. What does one do with a vision like the one Jacob had? How can one encounter God in the way that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Moses did? How can one develop the personal relationship with Jesus through sacramental or contemplative encounters that can yield such great peace and love? How can one reach "the abode of God" and the "gateway to heaven." Individuals with the gift to be wise guides are not "a dime a dozen," but they do exist and can be a great resource.
The Old Testament figures of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who have been appearing in the first scripture of the day for the past several weeks were very much alive to great spritual fathers in the church. They are alive for us, too, if we are willing to consider their experiences and realize that we too may find God in unexpected places and unanticipated moments if we are open to the experience. If we can find a wise guide, all the better, but the scriptures are there for us as well. An attentive heart and mind are the first step. AMEN
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